Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Episode 4. A Night with a Top Star (3)
The email included a request to meet, along with a phone number.
After glancing around for a moment, Park Siwoo sent a message.
[Lee Yena?]
Not long after, a call came from the same number.
Park Siwoo immediately jumped to his feet.
The team member sitting next to him asked,
“Huh? Team leader, aren’t you eating?”
“I got a call. Go ahead and eat first.”
“Yes, sir. See you.”
Giving a quick excuse, he stepped outside.
He walked to a quiet corner and answered the phone.
“Hello?”
—Hello.
A refreshing voice that could be felt even through the speaker.
Even without confirming, he knew it was Lee Yena, but he still asked just in case.
“Lee Yena?”
—Yes, it’s Lee Yena.
“This is Park Siwoo.”
—Ah, Siwoo! I was so busy I couldn’t contact you. I’m sorry.
“It’s fine. More importantly……”
Park Siwoo trailed off.
He had no idea how to start the conversation.
‘Too many things have happened recently.’
Each incident was something that might only happen once in a lifetime.
That made it all the more sensitive.
As he hesitated, Lee Yena spoke bluntly.
—You’re talking about what happened that night, right?
Park Siwoo was slightly surprised.
He hadn’t expected her to bring it up first.
Speaking awkwardly, he said,
“Yes. What happened then… was because of the alcohol. It was my mistake. I’m sorry.”
Only then did he finally say what he had been holding back.
From the other end, he heard her burst into laughter.
After laughing for a while, Lee Yena said,
—Why are you apologizing? I did it because I wanted to.
“……”
—Like I said, I’ve been a fan for a long time. When I first debuted, things were really hard, and I got through it by listening to your songs. I even sang your song yesterday because I’m a fan. I didn’t expect it to become such a hot topic, though. You’re not upset, are you?
“I’m not upset.”
—That’s a relief. I thought you might be angry since I sang it without asking. Anyway, that’s how I feel. What about you?
“I……”
[Lee Yena, you need to get ready for the performance.]
Just as Park Siwoo was about to speak, he stopped.
After a brief pause, Lee Yena spoke again.
—I’m sorry. My overseas tour started yesterday, so it’ll be hard to stay in touch for a while.
“I see. When will you be back?”
—In a month. Let’s meet then and talk.
“Alright. I’ll contact you then.”
—Sounds good. I’ll finish my schedule quickly and come see you. Then—
“Wait, Lee Yena.”
—Yes?
Park Siwoo wondered if he should tell her that he was divorced, and that he no longer had the strength to love someone again.
“…No, let’s talk when we meet.”
In the end, he couldn’t say it.
Lee Yena responded playfully,
—Hmm… I’ll look forward to it. See you then.
—Click.
The call ended.
Park Siwoo let out a long breath.
‘What is even going on?’
He still couldn’t believe that Lee Yena liked him.
If this had happened when he was twenty, he would have been over the moon.
But after going through a divorce, it felt more like a burden.
‘I’m kind of trash too.’
After everything, he was thinking like this.
“Damn.”
Clicking his tongue, Park Siwoo lit a cigarette.
After smoking for a while, he went back inside.
After work, Park Siwoo bought a book from a bookstore.
Practical Harmony.
‘I should seriously start studying music.’
But before that, there was something he needed to do.
Upload a notice on NewTube.
‘My inbox is going to explode.’
It would take hours just to send rejection emails one by one.
So—
[Due to personal reasons, I am not accepting contact requests. I will make a separate announcement regarding commissions later.]
After posting the notice, Park Siwoo let out a breath.
‘That takes care of the first thing.’
Next, he had to send rejection emails.
‘About thirty of them.’
“Going to be a lot of work.”
Muttering to himself, his hands began moving quickly.
There was a bigger reason he was rejecting all the offers, beyond just his skills.
His company.
‘I can’t help it until I get fired.’
Leaving the company right away was an option, but he didn’t want to.
‘I still need to train my juniors.’
If he left now, Team 1 might completely fall apart.
As a team leader, he felt a sense of responsibility.
‘Well, if I get fired, it can’t be helped.’
Until he was fully confident in his skills, he planned to keep working.
Even though everyone was offering top-tier, it was all similar in the end.
‘And if I quit and fail, that’d be a problem too.’
Of course, some might say he could secure a contract now while his value was high.
But that wasn’t possible.
‘My contract forbids side jobs.’
And this wasn’t something flexible like stocks.
Working in music wasn’t something the company would overlook.
Unless someone at the executive level approved it.
The next day, Park Siwoo went to work and started catching up on tasks.
Though it wasn’t really “backlog,” since several tasks had suddenly piled up overnight, his damn director still called it that.
So Park Siwoo skipped lunch and focused on work.
‘Looks like I’ll be working late today.’
Starlight had put everything on the line this quarter.
Naturally, the burden fell on people like him.
He had been working for a while when—
“Team leader, the CEO is calling for you.”
“The CEO? Why?”
“I’m not sure… probably about this quarter’s sales.”
Instead of the director, the CEO called for him?
‘What’s going on?’
Park Siwoo stopped working and stood up.
CEO Cha Yeseung’s office was on the fifth floor.
Taking the elevator, he knocked on the door.
“CEO, this is Park Siwoo, Team Leader of Rookie Development Sales Team 1.”
“Come in.”
With permission, he entered.
The room was simpler than expected.
There weren’t any of the usual expensive artworks.
The only things there were music-related awards.
‘Right… she’s from the music industry too.’
More specifically, a dancer.
Back in the 90s, everyone knew her.
“What are you staring at like that? It’s not your first time here.”
Snapping out of it, Park Siwoo stepped forward.
“Sorry, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.”
“That’s understandable. Not just anyone comes in here.”
She pointed to the chair in front of her desk.
Park Siwoo quickly sat down.
“As you know, the company’s survival depends on this quarter. So I want to hear from the team leaders working in the field.”
“My thoughts…?”
“What’s your plan? For contracts.”
It was vague.
What plan?
“You don’t have to answer. I know the situation.”
She seemed aware that contracts were difficult due to the lobbying scandal.
At this point, it wasn’t about money.
For celebrities, whose image was everything, joining this company itself was a risk.
Still, she must have been desperate enough to grasp at straws.
“I’m not sure celebrities would sign with us, no matter how much we offer.”
“I thought so.”
“Yes. Even if I try my best, it won’t be easy. This might be presumptuous, but the only way to turn things around now is to hit big with a rookie.”
“That’s… quite presumptuous.”
“I’m sorry.”
She waved her hand.
“I’m not angry. You know what happened with our idols, right?”
Closers, who debuted a year ago.
They weren’t bad visually, but their music lacked something and they faded away.
Honestly—
‘I could’ve done better if I composed their songs.’
Since then, Starlight had half-given up on idols.
“So, idols… nothing else?”
“No.”
“Alright. You can go. This isn’t something we can solve alone.”
“Yes.”
He bowed and turned—
—Sometimes you may feel tired and exhausted. But you by my side, and me by yours. Together, we can light up any darkness~
A familiar melody played.
Turning his head, he saw Cha Yeseung smiling awkwardly.
“It’s a song by a composer I’m interested in. He’s unknown, but the music is great. I was going to have Team 1 secure a contract, but he’s refusing offers.”
Could it be—
“Is that composer Guitar Hero?”
“You know him?”
Of course he did.
He was Guitar Hero.
Nodding, Park Siwoo asked,
“Are you planning to sign him?”
Cha Yeseung frowned.
“What, are you going to secure the deal?”
“I might be able to. I know him personally.”
“…!”
Her expression changed instantly.
‘Now she’s interested.’
Shrugging, he said,
“If it’s me, I can bring him in.”
“He said he won’t accept contracts.”
“I know why.”
Park Siwoo smiled confidently.
Meanwhile, her face tightened.
‘If it doesn’t work, oh well.’
He could just keep working until he got fired, then focus on music.
The problem was—
‘That’s a bit risky.’
It was better to have a fallback.
“Can you take responsibility for that?”
“If there’s a reward for it.”
“Hah!”
She burst out laughing.
“I didn’t know you were this kind of person, Team Leader Park. Fine.”
She held up two fingers.
“Double. If you bring him in, I’ll give you twice your salary as a bonus.”
“And the contract terms for the artist?”
“Offer him the best in the industry. Whatever it takes, just bring him here. I’ll approve everything.”
“Understood.”
Smiling, Park Siwoo stood up—
Then sat down again in front of her.
Now visibly annoyed, she frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ve brought him.”
“What?”
“I am Guitar Hero.”
Shock spread across Cha Yeseung’s face.